Handout 2:
Artifact Study

Choose one of the artifacts, read its description, and answer some or all of the following questions as they apply to each object.

What is the artifact?
What type of object is it (painting, tool, toy, clothing)?
What color is it?
What is its shape and size?
What is it made of?
How was it produced?

Who was the maker or designer of the artifact?
What knowledge or experience did the maker have?
Was the artifact produced by an individual or a group?
Was either the individual or the group identified with an artistic, political, or ideological movement?

What was the occasion?
When and where was it made?
Did the artifact change over time?
What events or conditions might have affected it?
What was the early use of the artifact? Or did it commemorate a specific event?

What is the purpose of the artifact?
Why was the artifact made?
Was there an implicit purpose (hidden agenda)?
Who would benefit or be harmed by the artifact?
How was the artifact actually used?

Who was the audience?
Who were the intended users?
Did people outside the intended group use the artifact?
How might the users have reacted to the artifact?
How did different users interpret the artifact?